


if I gave you what you’re asking for (no you wouldn’t want it anymore)

by Notaboutlove



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, choni
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 07:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16383929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notaboutlove/pseuds/Notaboutlove
Summary: Snapshots of Cheryl and Toni settling in at Thornhill together. Also Cheryl ruminating on how different it is now with her parents gone





	if I gave you what you’re asking for (no you wouldn’t want it anymore)

**Author's Note:**

> You guys, I went to a Halloween party this weekend and I saw a Cheryl Blossom!! Serpent jacket and everything, it made my whole night, she was very sweet. Unfortunately there were no Toni's in sight. Anyway, title taken from Guilty As Charged by Chairlift, this song makes me think of choni for some reason. 
> 
> This was the first, and longest, fic I ever wrote for this pairing but I kept adding to it and as summer dragged on I kept telling myself I'd be done soon. I might add more to it later, I'm not sure. Since we didn't know they had spent all summer on motorcycles there's no mention of that here but I'm sure I'm not the only one waiting for a roadtrip fic haha

Cheryl watched Toni from the kitchen at Thistlehouse. It was not so elaborate a set up as what had burned down at Thornhill, but it was a working kitchen, none-the-less. It wasn’t as if the Blossom matriarchs had ever made proper use of it. Their jobs had been merely to make sure whatever hired help they’d gotten, that somehow the plates made it to the table. Toni’s normally pink mane of hair was tied into a top knot, an adorable red (of course) apron adorning her small hips as she concentrated on several pots and pans on the stove at once. Occasionally, she’d wipe her hand on the dish towel thrown over her shoulder.

She looked the most beautiful like this, completely at ease and absorbed, free to be herself, not needing to put up a front of tough Serpent gang member, which she genuinely was, but here, alone, they could allow their labels, their façades, to fade away. Cheryl was still getting used to Thistlehouse without Penelope in it. Not because it was quieter, her mother, nor her father for that matter, were boisterous people. They didn’t even know what joy was, let alone exhibited any signs of such a foreign emotion; an emotion that was only recently foreign to her as well. No, it wasn’t the lack of noise.

She still half expected her mother to be sitting reflectively in the den, reading a book or having tea in front of the fire. Expecting the sneer of disdain when she entered any room she happened to be in, or worse, acting as if she wasn’t even there, staring vacantly into the distance. That is when she wasn’t “entertaining” one of her gentleman callers. Having the house to herself and Nana Rose (and now Toni) felt like a breath of fresh air.

There was still the lingering fear that Penelope could discover a legal loophole to find her way back home and continue to make her life miserable. But for now, (leaving it to mull over later) she calmly watched her girlfriend, who had yet to notice her. Toni, on the other hand, was always varying degrees of elated to have her presence near; relief and a soft smile at the end of the day, even though they’d seen each other several times in school, pure delight if Toni had been gone with a few select Serpents for more than a day. If she entered a room, even if Toni didn’t acknowledge her right away, busy fiddling with her camera or homework on their bed, she knew Cheryl was there and once she was near enough, made physical contact. They both needed that tether.

As cute as she was focusing, totally unaware of her surroundings, Cheryl was impatient for her girlfriend’s attention. Toni finally looked up as she was draining the pasta over the sink. She gave a small jump. “Shit, Cher,” she yelped.

After the initial shock (Toni was used to her rowdy boys, not this pervasive quiet), she beamed brightly and held her hand out for Cheryl to take. Cheryl bit her lip immediately taking it and with her other hand, tugging on the apron to pull her in for a quick kiss. They pulled apart, but their foreheads remained touching.

“Hi,” Cheryl breathed.

“Hi”

“It smells really good, I didn’t know you could cook.”

“Well, now that we’re living together, I’m sure there’s all sorts of things that we’ll be learning about each other.”

An acute pleasure made its way down her back and Cheryl clutched the apron a little tighter, thrilled at the prospect of just that. Their relationship was still new, but they had gone through so much already, saving each other from peril (conversion therapy and rival gang member kidnappings respectively) on top of the general chaos that had become Riverdale since the death of her dear twin brother. This co-habiting, though, was new. There were so many things to discover, childhood memories and hopes for the future yet to unveil. Some might have thought it foolish to make such a grand gesture as to have her new girlfriend move in so soon.

But Toni had become her family long before she had covered herself in blood and kicked her mother out. Probably from the moment she had braved approaching her at the movies after their less than civil encounter in the bathroom. Where everyone cowered in fear, Toni had always shown up with compassion. So this moving in didn’t feel forced, or like it was too soon, for either of them. Cheryl loved coming home with her on Toni’s motorcycle, death trap or not, the verdict was still out on that one, but it was important to her, so she patiently conceded. She loved walking into a room and smelling Toni’s lavender lotion before actually seeing her. Everything had fallen into place so organically. Their domesticity had surprised her, but not unpleasantly so.

Despite growing up with a sibling, Cheryl was not one to share. Certainly, she could find herself being a generous individual when the mood struck her, but she was spoiled, she wasn’t ashamed of it, and sharing did not come naturally, or feel good for that matter. But Toni, as with everything else, made the transition easy. Though she had her own room at Thistlehouse, it was essentially more of a boudoir. Cheryl had insisted they maker her bedroom, theirs. She couldn’t bear the idea of Toni being downstairs or down the hall when she could be in her bed, in her arms.

They continued to gaze at each other, in the way their friend group tended to find annoying (and were unafraid of voicing out loud), until Toni tilted her chin down to plant a final kiss on her lips.

“It’ll be ready soon. I need you to wash up and set the table.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cheryl purred.

Though used to being the bossy one in any given situation, she couldn’t help the rush she felt when Toni took charge. Anyone else would’ve been put in their place, but her girlfriend was in her own category.

 

 

Toni had moved in at the beginning of summer, but Thistlehouse was still in disarray, with her boxes strewn all over. Some belonging to Toni herself, though she didn’t own much to begin with, boxes of clothes and knick-knacks she’d been able to salvage after everything with the Ghoulies. There were her true crime books yet to find a home on the Blossom shelves. Charming, if not gruesome, Cheryl had declared them. But many belonged to Cheryl.

Her girlfriend was making an attempt to purge what few things Penelope Blossom had left behind, trying to make the small mansion more hospitable, into a home for both of them. A new start meant erasing all traces of the callous woman and her cruelties and humiliations by association. Toni couldn’t believe some of the things Penelope had said or done, it was something out of a Lifetime movie. It made her blood boil to think her girlfriend had been living under those conditions for so long. The first time she had laid eyes on the elder Blossom, a chill of discomfort had gone through her. Penelope was not a warm person, she had even less patience for people outside of her family and she didn’t bother with conventions like being polite. She was a straight shooter, Toni would giver her that much at least.

She had already helped Cheryl take down several family portraits and imagined the only thing keeping the redhead from torching them or tossing them out, was Jason’s presence in them. They would probably store them somewhere safe until Cheryl decided what to do with them. In their place, she had insisted she wanted to display Toni’s work. There had been a lot of cajoling, pouting and kisses until Toni had agreed to let her photography hang in the halls and more prominent places around the mansion.

Toni was passionate about her work and proud of it, it had been one of her tethers since she was young, but she was more used to working hard for everything she got. There were stark differences in the way both girls had been raised. Still, she found that saying no was usually not an option with the youngest Blossom, she figured that out before they had gotten close, but soon she discovered that she didn’t want to. With obstacles out of their way, she wanted nothing more than to make Cheryl happy. And sometimes that meant compromising, or more often than not, conceding entirely. It was worth it to see the genuine joy on her girlfriend’s face.

So different from the guarded mask she showed everyone else. It had been a long back and forth once Cheryl had designated one of the small rooms downstairs as her new dark room. Finally, the prospect of their own pictures in their bedroom, on the various tables for all to see, was enough for her reluctant concession. They had already accumulated a fair amount of them. Posed, and sometimes candid, depending on how trusting she felt of Sweet Pea or Jughead that day.

Cheryl was almost obsessive, which was no surprise, as the redhead threw herself into all endeavors with fervor. Her girl did nothing half-assed. Thistleouse was slowly but surely starting to feel like theirs, and not some haunted appendage that kept her Cheryl connected to the atrocities her family had committed over the years.

 

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to play Cheryl, Ronnie?” Archie asked.

Though not as reluctant as she’d let on, she had agreed to a summer afternoon with their friends. A word that, if she was being honest with herself, still made her twitchy. Just a few months prior, she would have absolutely put her foot down about letting these people on her property, but here they all were, the core four and her girlfriend’s best friends yelling and aiming water guns at each other.

They were having a normal summer afternoon, like normal people in a normal town without murder investigations or gang rivalries. Cheryl let her sunglasses dip down, so she could look directly at him.

“Sweet, naïve, Archie, you act as if you’ve never met me. Veronica, will you please inform your beau that I am perfectly content while the rest of you grunt and sweat all over my lawn?”

Veronica, in the lounge chair next to her, smiled apologetically. “We’re good, Archiekins, but thank you for the offer.”

“Anyway,” Toni teased, “That’s not the kind of grunting and sweating she prefers to do.”

She winked over at Cheryl who loudly slammed her book shut and bolted upright. “T.T.!”

Jughead and Archie sported identical disturbed looks before resuming their match and spraying each other. Sweet Pea and Fangs guffawed, shoving each other until they were on their backs, effectively rendering themselves vulnerable to Betty’s water gun. Toni rolled her eyes at all of them and walked over to kiss Cheryl’s cheek, both of which had turned a lovely shade of pink.

“You’re cute when you blush.” Cheryl failed at her attempt to glower up at her girlfriend.

“I’m always cute, Antoinette.”

That set the boys off again, knowing how Toni felt about her full name. Cheryl sighed dramatically and stood up, resting her glasses on top of her head.

“Ronnie, Cousin Betty, could I have your help inside? Even though these graceless plebs don’t deserve it, I’m going to feed them. As horrid as she was, Mummy did ingrain in me the imperatives of being a good hostess. I can’t erase everything she taught me.”

Veronica and Betty smiled knowingly at each other before following Cheryl into the kitchen. After washing their hands, they pulled out the premade hors d’oeuvres and began to plate them while making small talk. Before any of this, Cheryl would’ve been distrustful at best, having both girls in her home, knowing there would be some ulterior motive. She’d expect them to go snooping around for whatever mission their little group had signed up for at the time. But they’d proven time and time again that they could really only count on each other. Certainly not the so-called adults of Riverdale with their dark secrets and lies.

All three girls shared the unfortunate luck of having fathers (or having _had_ in Cheryl’s case) with more immoral extra curriculars, which was putting it mildly. They hadn’t taken up golfing or fishing or some other mundane parental pastime, of course not. They were more or less in the same boat and Cheryl had grudgingly realized she not only respected these girls but had started to see them, and their extensions by default, as friends, even a sort of make shift family.

“I was kind of shocked when I found out about you and Toni,” Betty offered, unprompted.

Cheryl, though caught off guard, simply raised an eyebrow, simultaneously asking her to continue and conveying for her to watch what she was about to say. Betty’s eyes widened slightly, and she tried to her best explain tactfully.

“You know I was worried about her and Jug.”

Cheryl nodded, remembering Toni’s confession of their “PG-13 grope session” and continued placing finger sandwiches neatly on the platter. She was still trying to process how someone as radiant, smart and gorgeous as her Toni would fall for King Hobo, but to each their own. They had been over before they’d even started.

“I think you’re both obviously really good for each other. After this past year, you deserve that Cheryl. I’m glad you found that too.”

Cheryl felt something stuck in her throat, but she wasn’t about to let them see that. She was still a Blossom and she had a reputation to uphold. Veronica stepped in before she could find something to say that wasn’t simply a mere, thank you.

“It goes without saying, Cheryl, I am also nothing less than overjoyed by your coupling. She’s a catch, you both are. In fact, I’d like to appoint myself, before anyone else has a chance, to be your wedding planner.”

Betty froze at the fridge, where she was pulling out another pitcher of lemonade. Cheryl paused for a moment but couldn't bring herself to look up at either girl.

“Down, girl. Ma chére Toni only just moved in. I know we've already professed our love for each other, and a long rich future is no doubt forthcoming, but,” she admitted quietly, “I don’t want to scare her off. Of course, I think about those things. I think she’s it for me, guys.”

Betty beamed adoringly her way, that puppy dog look she always got that made Cheryl forget that her cousin was also capable of just about anything when she wanted to get her way. She had to admit, it was impressive.

The redhead nonchalantly lifted one of the trays, prompting the other two to grab everything to follow her back out. Veronica, never one to take no for an answer, followed with plates and a second tray.

“Cher, you have to at least let me be the _madrina_ when you have children. Mamí and I can teach them Spanish. They’ll be so cultured by the time they’re in school,” she gushed.

The implication that they would know each other years from now delivered a comfort and bloom of warmth in Cheryl’s chest she hadn’t experienced fully until Toni had come into her life and taught her how to let people in. She hid a grin and dropped her sunglasses back down over her eyes.

“We’ll see.”

As soon as they set everything down, the boys, now completely drenched, gathered around the food and enthusiastically stuffed themselves unabashedly, not bothering with any utensils. They were like big sweaty dogs and Cheryl afraid of being a casualty, left them to it, instead opting to admire her girlfriend in her bathing suit.

Hands outstretched behind her on the lawn held her up as she waited patiently for an opening at the food table. She wore a modest black two-piece that showed off her abs, wet ends of her hair sticking to her shoulders. Cheryl was amazed she’d been able to keep her hands to herself up until this point. Toni caught her looking, but whereas Cheryl would’ve become flustered, Toni merely returned the gaze.

She flashed forward to when everyone would finally leave and she could take her time kissing all of that warm skin; they didn’t even have to go inside, the backyard was well hidden from prying eyes. Her pulse quickened. Toni’s smirk indicated she had an idea of what Cheryl was daydreaming about.

“Get a room,” Sweet Pea grunted at them, jolting them both out of their little bubble. His mouth was still full of food.

“We will, once you get the fuck out of our house.”

Toni burst into laughter, as Cheryl was not prone to cussing outside of the bedroom. She rolled her eyes at her own outburst and went back to her book.

“Fair enough,” he shrugged.

Cheryl was already counting down to the appropriate time she could kick everyone out so she could have her girlfriend to herself.

 

 

Cheryl watched Toni bandage her finger. She had lost a battle with an apple on the cutting board. Despite the amount of blood, after washing it under the sink, Toni had assured her it was merely a graze. The pink-haired girl had immediately rushed in from the next room after hearing the ruckus.

“Becoming a domestic goddess is not without its casualties, I am more than prepared, T.T.”

Toni looked up at her through her lashes. “You already are a goddess.” Cheryl flushed pleasantly.

“I know. But I’d love to be a goddess who can also bake you pies.”

She was almost delirious with the attention Toni always bestowed on her. She doted on her, reassured her, held her softly. She was certain she’d never tire of it.

While Penelope and Clifford showed concern for Jason if he was hurt or in a difficult situation, they didn’t attempt to hide their disdain when it came to their other twin. The disposable one.

“What did you do now, Cheryl Marjorie?” Penelope would hiss. “You probably had it coming all along, you nightmare child.”

Clifford, not bothering to address the verbal abuse from her mother (ever), would peer down at her as if she were an unwanted guest who had overstayed her welcome.

“A Blossom needs to learn to fight their own battles. This family does not raise weakness.”

What a bunch of bullshit. They had always gone on and on about family, unity, responsibility. Loyalty. More of the things they never possessed so could not possibly pass on to their children. How loyal was a man who could put a bullet through his son’s head?

Cheryl had learned she could toe the line; if she did something bad enough, but not so bad as to cross too many boundaries, her parents would step in to protect the family name. Whether it was through threats or bribery, at least then she could pretend there was some semblance of a maternal or paternal core in their bodies.

So when Toni had come along with her beauty and confidence and willingness to show Cheryl that she mattered, she had been terrified. Had lashed out and pushed her away, not trusting what the Serpent actually wanted from her. It took a few encounters for her to let her guard down, and once she did, she dove headfirst into Toni’s devotion. Into the easy way she gave her physical affection. She knew JJ would be pleased she’d found someone who could be her match, not put up with her nonsense, but also give her what she needed before she’d even asked.

Toni was fiercely protective of her own, and now that included her. Cheryl liked to think her parents would at least grudgingly approve of her unwavering loyalty. She finished cleaning her up and kissed the palm of her hand.

“Alright, Martha Stewart, why don’t we get ready for bed? The pie can wait until tomorrow.”

“I prefer to think of myself as culinary badass Alex Guarnaschelli.” She leaned down to kiss her girlfriend in thanks.

“Alright, Guarnaschelli, even culinary badasses need to sleep.”

 

 

 

“I’m thinking of dyeing it a different color.”

Cheryl stilled the fingers in Toni’s curls and looked down at the girl laying on top of her. Cheryl was usually the little spoon despite being the taller of the pair but tonight Toni needed extra comfort after some ridiculous argument with Jughead. Her initial instinct had been to call up the Neanderthal and demand he apologize and make up with her girlfriend. She had no doubt it was his fault, the boy could be a loose cannon, always acting on some self-righteous need to keep things as they were, always some crusade to recruit for; it was exhausting.

Cheryl was grateful to him for his sacrifices to the Serpents, his leadership, but no one messed with Toni. Before she could even voice any of these thoughts though, Toni had given her a knowing look.

“I need to handle this on my own, Bombshell, but I appreciate the gesture. We both need some space to cool off.”

“Why T.T. are you suggesting I’m incapable of diplomacy? I can speak hobo just as well as anyone. And he’ll be lucky I don’t break both of his knee caps.”

Toni had promptly kissed her in an attempt to distract, which is how they had ended up on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. After quickly developing a domestic routine, Cheryl no longer thought about creating chaos, well not unless the situation warranted, like this business with Jughead. Mostly she just wanted to be home snuggled with her girlfriend. It had been relatively quiet until Toni had brought up the matter of her hair.

She tried to imagine her without her trademark pink highlights and for some unfathomable reason it hurt to think about.

“Don’t,” she murmured before she could think.

Toni lifted herself up, carefully watching her. She immediately began to backtrack. “I mean, it’s your hair, do whatever you want, Topaz.”

Toni’s eyes softened and she began to run her own fingers through Cheryl’s red mane, loosening it out of the braid Toni herself had made earlier. Cheryl flushed from the attention and being caught being so maudlin and unreasonable over something like hair color.

“I guess I’d be pretty upset if the Cheryl Bombshell got rid of all this red.”

“I wouldn’t be a Blossom without it,” she scoffed.

“If it means that much to you, I’ll upkeep it for a while longer, I might just decide to keep it after all.”

Cheryl looked down.

“You don’t have to do that for me, I love you no matter what color your hair is.”

The l word had already been uttered between them, frequently and effusively, effortlessly, but times like this, it still made her shy to voice it out loud.

“I know that Cher, I don’t do anything I don’t want to, neither of us do. Don’t you know I’d do anything to make you happy?”

Toni had moved the hand in her hair to cup her face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb, intoxicatingly close. It was the small gestures that got Cheryl. They made her breath catch in her throat and feel like her heart was being squeezed in her chest. Outside of Jason, no one else had ever shown such commitment to her well-being. She felt tears sting her eyes but decided to ease the tension.

“God, you’re such a sap.”

She closed their gap, feeling Toni smile into their kiss.

 

 

 

“What’s this?”

Cheryl had just come back from the cemetery behind what was left of Thornhill to visit Jason. It was their first birthday since JJ had died and she had so much to catch him up on. That included the pink-haired angel in front of her. Toni was dressed in a black silk dress, showing off her cleavage and wonderfully long legs. She was even wearing heels, though Cheryl knew she preferred the comfort of her combat boots.

Distantly, she was grateful for her own black lace dress she’d left the house in, otherwise she would have felt severely under-dressed. She put the lustful stirring in her belly on hold because Toni was nervous. She did not get nervous. Concerned, yes. Immensely cocky, definitely. But she looked as if she had to tell Cheryl she’d run over a pet with her motorcycle. Except they didn’t have one.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

That’s when she noticed all the candles in the den, the bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket, the radio softly playing in the background. Even a fire going despite the lack of cold. Toni started to fidget with her hands.

“I know you didn’t want to make a big deal about your birthday since it’s the first one without your brother. But I still wanted to do something for just the two of us, only if you’re open to it, I know that’s kind of selfish. We don’t have to do anything tonight.”

Cheryl continued to gape at the scene set in front of her out of some romance novel. Toni continued to ramble.

“We can pretend it’s a normal night and watch whatever on Netflix and get take out or something. I just wanted you to feel special and wonderful, because that’s how you make me feel. But like I said, no pressure.”

Cheryl finally found herself striding over to Toni and kissed her roughly until they had to break apart to breathe. Even though they’d crossed all physical thresholds in their relationship, light grazes, even just being physically near each other could be overwhelming. There had been instances Cheryl had been surprised by her own wanton need for Toni, sometimes in the tamest of circumstances.

They’d be sitting in the student lounge with their friends, Toni with her nose in a book, her hand in Cheryl’s. She’d bite her lip, a perpetual frown on her face in concentration, with only the occasional grunt uttered. In those moments all Cheryl could think about was pulling the shorter girl onto her lap to have her way with her, privacy be damned. The force of her desire made her breathless and with the looks Toni openly and frequently sent her way, regardless of an audience or lack of, made her believe she was feeling the exact same way.

There were blankets and pillows neatly arranged in front of the fireplace and Cheryl found herself smiling.

“Why miss Topaz, are you trying to get laid tonight?”

“Always,” Toni smirked, but just as quickly her expression softened.

“But seriously, Cher, we can change into comfy clothes and set up camp on the couch for the rest of the night.”

Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni’s neck and started to sway them to a woman crooning, drifting over quietly from the radio. She was quick to reciprocate and gripped the redhead’s waist, letting her take the lead.

“The only way that dress of yours is coming off is when I peel it off myself.” Cheryl breathed into her ear before planting a kiss on her cheek.

Toni released a shaky breath and pulled their bodies even closer together.

“Happy Birthday, Cher.”

She continued to sway them and looked down at her girlfriend, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Toni had straightened it, she couldn’t deny that it added to the entire outfit.

“I adore your curls, T.T, but this is- different-I like it.”

They were merely murmuring to each other now, they had the house to themselves but anything louder would have ruined the bubble of comfort they’d built.

Cheryl Blossom exuded a sexual confidence; her wardrobe alone announced to the world that she was proud of her body and unafraid to show it off, but she had been tentative in her new relationship. Especially before it had been officially established as one. Toni suspected it had a lot to do with Heather. Cheryl had wholeheartedly embraced something with another girl and had payed dearly for it.

So it was no surprise she would be gun shy now, even if several years had passed. She could flirt with the best of them. She could tease or manipulate and basically have anyone eating out of the palm of her hand, with a flutter of her eyelashes or a well-practiced wave. But her girlfriend was, at the end of the day, a lady. She was prim and proper and demanded to be treated as such.

While she was not shy about making it known she was very much interested in one Toni Topaz as more than a friend, once she had let her guard down, Toni realized Cheryl could be surprisingly, endearingly shy. She had taken her time to court her, because after everything she’d been through, her girlfriend deserved it. Their initial contacts had been chaste, if not fraught with sexual tension, a kiss on the cheek, hand holding at the Bijou, a comforting hand on the small of her back, longing looks alone or in public.

They had quickly discovered that they loved touching, however innocent, and found ways to always be doing so in some capacity. It wasn’t long though, before Cheryl had become emboldened by their growing intimacy and kisses on the cheek became bruising good night kisses at the end of their dates, desperate scrambling in Cheryl’s car, soft fingers under clothes on her bed when Penelope was out.

Every time treading a fine line until she was finally comfortable completely blurring and eradicating it. And it had been well worth the wait. Toni was honored to be part of the redhead’s life. To be so wholly and generally bestowed her heart and soul. Cheryl, who believed when her mother called her an emotional anorexic, had let Toni in, taken a chance in every way possible, proving what she’d known all along, that the Blossom heir was truly sensational. Whatever everyone else saw, the cold vindictiveness, the fiery anger that made everyone else tremble with fear, Toni knew the truth. Her girlfriend was soft, she was kind, with so much love to give.

 

They’d kept the fire going despite being otherwise occupied with each other. Unconcerned with whatever time it happened to be, (late, she was certain) Toni watched Cheryl watching the flames, tranquil distant smile on her face. She lay on her stomach, head supported by her arms. Red hair tumbled down her bare back. When she reached out to tuck some of it behind her ear, Cheryl looked over at her, eyes filled with a quiet joy, it was one of her rarer ones, so Toni soaked it in.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Cheryl admitted sheepishly.

Toni turned onto her side to face her, chuckling at the color on her girlfriend’s face deepening. “We’ve done that plenty of times by now, Bombshell.”

“Why must you be so difficult.”

“It’s why you love me,” Toni teased.

“Debatable.”

Cheryl stretched like a cat, turning onto her back. Toni tried not to gawk at her chest like a teenage boy. The small smirk let her know she knew perfectly well what she was doing and how it would affect the shorter girl.

“In front of a fire,” she finally supplied. “Like we’re in a romance novel.”

Toni let it sink in for a moment. She scooted closer, lightly tracing patterns on her stomach with her fingers, amused at the suppressed shiver that ran through Cheryl.

“Well, Cher, if you have any other places in mind, I’m more than happy to comply.”

She leaned down to kiss her forearm and made a trail to her shoulder. Cheryl giggled contentedly.

“I might.”

 

 

“Cher, it’s going to be fine.”

“I don’t want _fine_ , I want perfect,” she snapped.

Seeing the taken aback look on the smaller Serpent’s face, she back tracked. She dropped the dishtowel she’d been anxiously wringing on the counter and gently cupped her face.

“I’m sorry, chère, I’ve been a monster all afternoon. Can you forgive me?”

The simple gesture melted any discomfort Toni was feeling.

“I get it, you want everyone to enjoy themselves.”

Fangs and Sweet Pea, both in matching red aprons and maneuvering around each other at the kitchen island, stopped over their food prepping to stare.

“Does this mean we get an apology too?”

“As we are not romantically involved, no,” Cheryl spared a moment to bark at them. They both grumbled moodily but went back to cutting and peeling, though still invested in the scene in front of them.

Toni evil-eyed them and pulled her girlfriend out of ear shot. "You've put so much work into this holiday dinner, baby, even if it's not perfect everyone is going to love it because they love you and we're family."

Cheryl's eyes fell to the floor, still reveling in the fact that she was now surrounded by people who cared about her, who wanted to be in her company. She nodded silently.

"Hey."

She forced herself to meet her girlfriend's eyes. "Whatever happens, I'm here." 

Though teary-eyed she managed a smile and nodded more enthusiastically this time. Toni stroked her cheek for a moment. "That's my girl."

The doorbell rang promptly, announcing their first round of guests. 

"Yo, Red."

Both girls turned to Sweet Pea just as Fangs offered a thumbs up.

"It's going to be a great meal."

Cheryl straightened to her full height and narrowed her eyes them.

"Of course it is."

"I can get the door, Cher."

She gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips.

"You've done enough, T.T., I'll get it. And remind me to thank those two idiots later."

The boys made half-hearted protests in their defense as Cheryl glided gracefully towards the entrance.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope tomorrow's episode doesn't disappoint. Thank you to everyone who read this or the other 2 and left kudos or comments or just took the time to give it a chance, I've been very pleased and humbled by the responses to my stuff.


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